Laser bars are often manufactured using an assembly line type manufacturing process. It is often necessary to invert, move or reposition the laser bars during the manufacture process to permit the machinery to access more than one side of the laser bar, or, for transferring the laser bars to a film hoop or pack, or other piece of machinery or storage compartment or the like after manufacturing. In the prior art, the laser bars proceed along the assembly line in a fixture blade or facet coat fixture with the laser bars standing on one edge. The prior art system for inverting and moving the laser bars generally includes a vacuum collet which is positioned over the laser bar slightly off-center from the laser bar. The vacuum collet is lowered towards the laser bar and, due to the off-center suction effect through the vacuum collet, the vacuum collet picks the bar off a support surface, inverts it 90 degrees and suctionaly maintains the laser bar to the vacuum collet. The vacuum collet, and laser bar attached thereto, is then moved to a different location for transferring the laser bar to a film hoop or pack for further processing, storage or the like. One of skill in the art will recognize that the laser bar needs to be transferred to the film hoop at a precise angular orientation, or theta registration. That is, the manufacturing process requires that the laser bar be transferred to the film hoop at a precise orientation, within the limits of art recognized tolerance levels. In the prior art, the theta registration of the laser bar as it is picked up by the vacuum collet is imprecise and needs to be monitored and controlled by the use of complicated vision software and robotics.